The leading Turkish opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP) has proposed a Syrian peace plan to end the conflict that now threatens the stability of Turkey itself. The party's leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, speaking before his parliamentary party faction on Aug. 14, laid out the details of the peace plan, which would include Turkey calling for an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations, to which representatives of the Syrian regime and the opposition should be invited, and should be given full participation rights.

The peace conference, as envisioned, should be composed of three stages. The first should focus on the opinions and statements of these groups. In the second stage, there should be an agreement concerning initial negotiations. The Syrian sides should be urged to reach an agreement and talks should continue until they reach one. In the third stage, the document on the agreement between the two sides should be voted on at the conference before being submitted to the UN Security Council, Kilicdaroglu said. He also called for a peacekeeping force to be part of the agreement, concluding that, "This solution would boost Turkey's international prestige."

Meanwhile, Kilicdaroglu slammed both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) over their refusal to attend the scheduled extraordinary parliamentary session. "While our borders have become a powder keg, and our internal and external security is under threat, Parliament is the last institution that should be on recess." The CHP called the session to debate the collapse of the government's Syria policy, which has led to the isolation and destabilization of Turkey itself. This boycott has led to the failure to reach the required quorum of 184 lawmakers.

Turkish Parliamentarian Hüseyin Akgün of the CHP was meanwhile released by his kidnappers, who were members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK. He was held for 46 hours and released near the place he had been kidnapped. Akgün is a well- known human rights lawyer in the region